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Interview with Talented Author, Heidi Stemple

As the daughter of Jane Yolen, Heidi E. Y. Stemple has big shoes to fill; and she does it wonderfully. I spent 4 days with Heidi atJane Yolen’s picture book boot camp. Her humor and wit are rivaled only by her gourmet cooking skills. And owling with her is an experience I’ll never forget! I’m thrilled to interview Heidi on Writer’s Rumpus.

Kirsti Call: You took a circuitous route to writing. You were a private investigator, and a probation officer first. How did you finally decide to join the family business and how have you used your work experience in your writing?

Heidi E. Y. Stemple: I had no intention of being a writer. My passion was in criminal justice. I thought of joining the FBI after college, but, instead, I interviewed with the Department of Corrections in south FL and they hired me. I worked for about 3 years as a Probation/Parole Officer in Broward County before quitting to work as a private investigator. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my daughter (who is now 20) that I gave in and started writing, mostly out of boredom because I was very sick during my pregnancy. My first published story was a mystery story about a little girl solving a murder to help a kind ghost move on in the afterworld.